OSCE reports spike in Ukraine cease-fire violations

MINSK, Belarus — The international monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine says it has recorded a sharp rise in cease-fire violations following several days of lower activity.

The monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Thursday that more than 460 explosions were recorded in the Donetsk region in the period covering Tuesday night and Wednesday, up from 118 for the previous period. However, even higher numbers of more than 600 were reported in the previous week.

Much of Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region are under the control of Russia-backed rebels. More than 9,600 people have died in the fighting that began in April 2014, according to United Nations figures.

The mission said about half the explosions reported Thursday were in the area of the government-held port of Mariupol.